Environmental Economists: Career Profile
Conduct economic analysis related to environmental protection and use of the natural environment, such as water, air, land, and renewable energy resources. Evaluate and quantify benefits, costs, incentives, and impacts of alternative options using economic principles and statistical techniques.
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What Do Environmental Economists Perform?
The core tasks performed by environmental economists include:
- Write technical documents or academic articles to communicate study results or economic forecasts.
- Conduct research on economic and environmental topics, such as alternative fuel use, public and private land use, soil conservation, air and water pollution control, and endangered species protection.
- Collect and analyze data to compare the environmental implications of economic policy or practice alternatives.
- Assess the costs and benefits of various activities, policies, or regulations that affect the environment or natural resource stocks.
- Prepare and deliver presentations to communicate economic and environmental study results, to present policy recommendations, or to raise awareness of environmental consequences.
- Develop programs or policy recommendations to achieve environmental goals in cost-effective ways.
- Develop economic models, forecasts, or scenarios to predict future economic and environmental outcomes.
- Demonstrate or promote the economic benefits of sound environmental regulations.
Skills and Knowledge
Top environmental economists rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
These are the skills that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Types of Environmental Economists Jobs
Common job titles for this role include:
- Agricultural Economist
- Ecological Economist
- Energy Economist
- Environment and Natural Resources Economics Researcher
- Environmental Economist
- Environmental Protection Economist
- Marine Resource Economist
- Natural Resource Economist
Job Outlook
The U.S. employs around 71,569 environmental economists working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +8.5% over the projection horizon.
Environmental Economists Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $86,726 |
| Hourly median | $41.70 |
| 10th percentile | $52,452 |
| 25th percentile | $69,589 |
| 75th percentile | $103,863 |
| 90th percentile | $121,000 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Environmental Economists Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $162,610 |
| Virginia | $148,010 |
| New York | $142,300 |
| Maryland | $137,610 |
| Georgia | $127,220 |
| Ohio | $117,750 |
| Washington | $116,390 |
| Missouri | $115,520 |
| Kansas | $115,100 |
| Pennsylvania | $113,300 |
| Illinois | $112,790 |
| North Carolina | $111,770 |
| Oregon | $111,660 |
| Colorado | $111,540 |
| Tennessee | $110,320 |
| Alaska | $108,960 |
| Minnesota | $107,470 |
| Texas | $106,200 |
| Alabama | $103,400 |
| Connecticut | $103,200 |
| Massachusetts | $103,170 |
| New Jersey | $102,350 |
| California | $100,510 |
| Arizona | $96,390 |
| Montana | $95,990 |
| Indiana | $95,830 |
| Michigan | $94,850 |
| Iowa | $92,750 |
| Florida | $89,250 |
| Louisiana | $89,010 |
| Nevada | $84,540 |
| New Mexico | $82,490 |
| Oklahoma | $82,330 |
| Hawaii | $81,740 |
| Maine | $80,670 |
| Idaho | $78,770 |
| Wisconsin | $76,940 |
| Puerto Rico | $68,180 |
| Nebraska | $66,690 |
| Kentucky | $65,470 |
| South Carolina | $51,980 |
Pay by U.S. Region
Compensation for environmental economists shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Atlantic | $147,964 | 36.9% | 22.92 |
| Southwest | $106,200 | 4.1% | 0.44 |
| Plains States | $104,323 | 4.5% | 0.70 |
| Far Western US | $103,964 | 15.1% | 0.94 |
| Southeast | $103,312 | 19.8% | 1.62 |
| New England | $101,865 | 6.8% | 1.80 |
| Great Lakes | $100,396 | 9.1% | 0.82 |
| Rocky Mountains | $85,496 | 3.2% | 0.91 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Environmental Economists
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $168,850 | 730 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $157,980 | 4,300 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $134,410 | 440 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | TX | $131,160 | 160 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $129,280 | 250 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | GA | $127,220 | 310 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | MD | $125,630 | 200 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | VA | $124,780 | 40 |
Industry Breakdown
Most environmental economists are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 3,970 | $113,300 |
| Finance and Insurance | 1,500 | $165,960 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 530 | $100,900 |
| Educational Services | 360 | $87,020 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 310 | $135,100 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 160 | $107,780 |
| Utilities | 140 | $130,400 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 110 | $90,460 |
Environmental Economists work in the following industries:
Tools and Technology
- Development environment software: C (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: C# (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development software: C++ (hot technology)
- Geographic information system: ESRI ArcGIS software (hot technology)
- Analytical or scientific software: IBM SPSS Statistics (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft SQL Server (hot technology)
- Development environment software: Microsoft Visual Basic (hot technology)
Work Environment
The on-the-job environment of environmental economists reflects the following characteristics:
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
- Freedom to Make Decisions
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Spend Time Sitting
Getting Started in This Career
This occupation sits in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Sustainability Specialists (Supplemental)
- Financial Risk Specialists (Supplemental)
- Financial Quantitative Analysts (Supplemental)
- Statisticians (Primary-Long)
- Data Scientists (Primary-Short)
- Soil and Plant Scientists (Supplemental)
- Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists (Supplemental)
- Biologists (Supplemental)
Degree Programs
Aspiring environmental economists commonly pursue programs in:
Social Sciences
7 programs across 2 majors
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
4 programs across 4 majors
- Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
- Mathematical Economics
- Economics and Computer Science
- Economics and Foreign Language/Literature
Mathematics and Statistics
1 programs across 1 majors
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
1 programs across 1 majors
Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, and Related Sciences
1 programs across 1 majors
Natural Resources and Conservation
1 programs across 1 majors
About the Data
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 19-3011.01 (Economists).
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